Apple CEO Tim Cook hints at next‑week launch of new iPads, sparking fresh excitement.

Apple’s upcoming “Special Experiences” in Shanghai, London and New York will serve as the launch platform for two new iPad models, according to a detailed rundown from 9to5Mac. The entry‑level iPad, now in its 12th generation, will be the first in the line‑up to ship with Apple’s next‑generation A18 silicon. The chip brings a jump to 8 GB of RAM—up from the 6 GB found in the current A16‑based iPad—and integrates the N1 wireless module first seen in the iPhone 17, enabling Wi‑Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread support. Apple Intelligence, which has been limited to iPhone 15‑series and newer Macs, will finally be available on the base iPad, unlocking the full suite of iPadOS 26 AI features and the promised Siri upgrades [9to5Mac].

The higher‑end offering is an iPad Air refreshed with Apple’s M4 processor, a step up from the M3‑powered model introduced in March 2026. While the chassis is expected to remain unchanged, the M4’s additional compute heads and unified memory bandwidth are designed to power the new iPadOS 26 AI workloads and professional‑grade apps such as Apple Creator Studio. 9to5Mac notes that the Air will also adopt the N1 wireless chip, and rumors suggest a shift to the C1X cellular modem for LTE‑Advanced‑Pro connectivity, though Apple has not confirmed the cellular spec publicly.

Beyond the iPads, Bloomberg’s Apple analyst Mark Gurman has hinted that Apple will unveil a touchscreen‑enabled MacBook Pro during the same week. Gurman, citing “people familiar with the matter,” says the new MacBook will retain the current keyboard and large trackpad but add a dynamic UI layer that toggles between touch‑optimized and traditional point‑and‑click modes when a user interacts with on‑screen controls [Daily Mail]. The speculation aligns with Tim Cook’s cryptic six‑second video on X, which shows a hand pinching and pulling a gray surface to reveal the Apple logo—a gesture that could be a visual metaphor for the upcoming touch interface [Daily Mail].

Apple’s timing suggests a strategic push to cement its AI leadership across the entire product stack. By equipping the base iPad with the A18 and Apple Intelligence, the company closes the last gap in its consumer‑grade AI ecosystem, ensuring that even its most affordable tablet can run the same on‑device language models and image‑generation features that debuted on iPhone 15 Pro and Mac Book Air M2. The M4‑powered iPad Air, meanwhile, positions Apple to compete more directly with high‑performance Android tablets that already ship with dedicated AI accelerators. If the rumored touchscreen MacBook materializes, it would mark the first major deviation from Apple’s long‑standing keyboard‑first philosophy, potentially opening a new form factor for creative professionals who rely on both precise pointer input and direct touch manipulation.

Analysts have not yet quantified the revenue impact of the new iPads, but Apple’s historical launch cadence shows that a refreshed entry‑level tablet can add several hundred million dollars to quarterly sales, especially when paired with a compelling AI narrative. The inclusion of Wi‑Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 also future‑proofs the devices for the next generation of accessories, a factor that could drive higher accessory attach rates. As the “big week” unfolds, investors will be watching not only the hardware specs but also how Apple integrates its AI stack across iPadOS 26, a move that could set the benchmark for on‑device intelligence in the broader tablet market.